A quote from Richard Baxter today, and think more about his comparison of the human body to the marriage relationship. Baxter said:

“[Marriage] is a relation of love that you have entered. God hath made it your duty for your mutual help and comfort: that you may be as willing and ready to succour one another, as the hand is to help the eye or other fellow member, and that your converse may be sweet, and your burdens easy, and your lives may be comfortable. If love be removed but for an hour between husband and wife, they are so long as a bone out of joint; there is no ease, no order, no work well done, till they are restored and set in joint again. Therefore be sure that conjugal love be constantly maintained.”*

As a Bone Out of Joint

Experience and observation tell me Baxter is very accurate when he describes the lack of love in a marriage as having a bone out of joint. It is miserable. I know couples who have been carrying on for decades as proverbial bodies dragging themselves around with shoulders, knees, and hips all out of joint. Without true, biblical, committed love, marriage doesn’t work.

Even the best marriages probably have days in which a proverbial bone comes out of joint – or nearly does. While on this earth, we are each prone to succumb to our selfish, sinful flesh. We are going to let our husband down. We are going to sin against him. And our husband will let us down and sin against us, too.

Because of this, it is so important to keep short accounts. To confess our wrongs, repent, make amends, forgive — and set our relationship back in joint again. When couples check their relationship and their hearts often, big ‘dislocations’ are less likely to occur, and small cases of ‘nursemaids elbow’ and such are able to heal quickly, with no terrible harm done.

This is what maintenance is about. That something must be maintained implies that it will break down, fall apart, become dirty or overgrown, etc…without consistent care. Relationships must be maintained, just like so many other things. So, as Baxter said, we must “be sure that conjugal love be constantly maintained”. We diligently maintain our marital love so that, among other benefits, “[our] converse may be sweet, and [our] burdens easy, and [our] lives may be comfortable”, because our relationship with our husband is healthy, in joint, and in harmony.

And, even if our marriage is crippled at some point with a major ‘dislocation’, if we are willing to diligently cooperate with the healing process, from confession through forgiveness through restoration, then that relationship can, by God’s grace, walk in good health again.

God sets broken bones just as surely as He makes the bones that have been broken. Center your marriage on His word, obeying Him in ALL things (yep, um, hard to do but never impossible through Christ!), forgiving AS YOU HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN (I know…our flesh really bucks at this one, but it’s a biggie), and loving as HE HAS LOVED YOU (with grace and mercy, even when we sin and walk in the flesh instead of His Spirit….He is faithful to intercede on our behalf and He loved us enough to be our sacrifice for that sinfulness. Remember that dying to self thing? Here’s where the rubber meets the road…We are called to do the same for one another in Christ…big ouch sometimes, right? I know, I hearya, for me too)…..and as we live our marriages as He tells us to in His word, He helps us to honor both Him and our spouse, even when our spouse acts dishonorably. “Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing.”

THAT’S how we are to live in God’s marriage. I say we all hold one another in prayer as we seek to do His will in this, because it is only by HIM that we will be able to do it. Thank You Lord. Thank You. ❤ ~AGM

“Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? – Luke 18:8”

"One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple." Psalm 27:4

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. –Matthew 7:15-23, KJV”

“If anyone advocates a different doctrine, and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. –1 Timothy 6:3-5”

If I have in any way violated a copyright or not given appropriate credit to an author please forgive me. It was done innocently and in ignorance. Contact me if there is a problem and I will be glad to remove or edit it as desired.